***
Whoosh— Swoosh—
Suddenly, accompanied by the wind, a streak of spiritual power flew in, aiming for Lee An-jeong’s spine.
If he had not heard the shout first, he would have thought it was simply the sound of the wind.
'Hmm? What is this? Is it the wind? Is it spiritual power?'
Unlike general spiritual power, it was a unique kind of spiritual power that felt as if it were the wind itself.
However, it was not to a degree that was threatening to Lee An-jeong, who had reached the 3rd star of the Qi Condensation stage.
'What? It’s not as much of a big deal as I thought!'
After confirming its power, Lee An-jeong immediately roused his spiritual qi to protect his back.
As soon as that wind-like spiritual power touched Lee An-jeong’s back, it broke apart and scattered.
Crack— Rustle—
Then, the voice from a moment ago expressed a tone of curiosity.
"Oh! As expected of the rumors, he is a fellow with a very sturdy body? To think he blocked my spiritual power sent through my family’s Wind-Pulling Qi-Condensation! Has he surpassed the level of the 2nd star of the Qi Condensation stage? Even though not even a handful of spiritual qi can be felt from him!"
"Yes, Cheon-sunbae! That’s why he’s quite a troublesome fellow. I also made the mistake of looking down on him and ended up suffering a setback twice due to that guy’s cowardly tricks."
Following the voice of a man whose voice was breaking, a familiar voice was heard.
That familiar voice heard for the second time was none other than Hwang Cheon’s voice.
For some reason, it seemed that Mak So-hyang had not come along today.
"What? Hwang Cheon! Is it you again? Did you come because you want to get beaten again even after being thrashed like that? Where did you leave your girlfriend, and why are you alone today?"
At Lee An-jeong’s words, Hwang Cheon instinctively flinched for a moment, then soon whispered softly to the man with the breaking voice in front of him.
"Look at that. I told you he runs wild like a reckless fool, trusting only in that cowardly body-strengthening technique he learned."
"I see. It seems he is indeed a fellow who has learned a special body-strengthening technique. For a cultivator who should be practicing spiritual qi to rely on such a low-grade physical technique. He is truly a disgrace to the Bu-yeon Sect!"
Lee An-jeong recognized who the fellow called Cheon-sunbae was.
Looking about three or four years older, he was a fellow named Cheon Mong-han, who was at the 2nd star of the Qi Condensation stage.
Since there were fewer than fifty children who had reached the 2nd star of the Qi Condensation stage among the thousand or so miscellaneous labor disciples.
He had no choice but to learn at least their names over the course of a month.
Most cultivators disliked body-strengthening practitioners, but Cheon Mong-han was a fellow who particularly loathed them.
It seemed Hwang Cheon intended to use Cheon Mong-han’s hatred toward body-strengthening practitioners.
'Now that I see it, that guy Hwang Cheon has the intention of enticing Cheon Mong-han to deal with me?'
The fellow Hwang Cheon seemed to be more persistent than expected.
Since it seemed he couldn't possibly be a match using his own strength, it appeared he now wanted to borrow someone else's power.
'Doesn't this appear a lot in martial arts novels? Dealing with an enemy by borrowing someone else's hand. Killing with a borrowed knife! That petty bastard, he’s doing all sorts of things?'
Lee An-jeong found it absurd inwardly, but he quietly watched how the fellow would act.
For Lee An-jeong, who had already reached the 3rd star of the Qi Condensation stage, he would not be afraid even if Cheon Mong-han brought his own grandfather, let alone Cheon Mong-han himself.
It was at that moment.
"Yawn— Hey! What’s going on? You haven't forgotten that duels between miscellaneous labor disciples are prohibited during supply time, right? Don't cause an accident for no reason and annoy me!"
From the front, the voice of a woman who was yawning and showing clear signs of being bothered drifted over.
She was none other than the woman named Gong-son-yeon, a fourth-generation disciple who had recently come as the new supervisor following Na Un-yeon.
With half of her face covered by long bangs, she was looking at Cheon Mong-han and Lee An-jeong indifferently with a very bored expression.
From what he could vaguely feel, the spiritual qi sensed from her appeared to be even greater and more profound than Na Un-yeon’s.
If that were the case, it was certain that she was at a realm higher than at least the 5th star of the Qi Condensation stage.
"I am sorry. I will be careful."
Cheon Mong-han quickly replied and stepped back while observing her mood.
However, even while doing so, he did not know how to withdraw his murderous gaze from Lee An-jeong.
'Looking at this guy’s eyes, it seems he really picked today as the day to get me?'
Lee An-jeong realized from Cheon Mong-han’s gaze that the fellow would not back down like this.
Although he was backing off now, his eyes looked as if he would start something at any time as long as they left this place.
Lee An-jeong also bowed his head in return to Gong-son-yeon, then stood in line once more.
After that, perhaps because they were wary of Gong-son-yeon, Cheon Mong-han and Hwang Cheon did not pull any particular tricks at the supply location.
The moment those fellows started their work was on the way back to the training cave right after receiving their supplies.
"Hey, Lee An-jeong! Won't you stop right there?"
From behind, Cheon Mong-han’s shout was heard.
Upon hearing that shout, a faint smile also formed on Lee An-jeong’s face.
The miscellaneous labor disciples who were heading toward the training caves along the forest path flinched at that sound and backed away one after another.
As a result, only Lee An-jeong and Mak Cheong-un remained on the forest path.
Cheon Mong-han’s gaze turned toward Mak Cheong-un.
"You there! You’d better leave as well?"
At those words, Mak Cheong-un quickly backed away with a frightened expression.
"Y-yes! I understand!"
However, perhaps because leaving only Lee An-jeong behind weighed on his mind, after walking about ten paces, he hid behind a tree to watch.
Then, Cheon Mong-han stepped forward and glared at Lee An-jeong.
"You fellow! This Cheon Mong-han will properly teach you a lesson today!"
Then, he rushed in an instant and threw out his hand.
Whoosh— Shwaaa—
From Cheon Mong-han’s hand, invisible wind-like spiritual power was shot and flew in once again.
It seemed to be the wind-attribute cultivation method called the Wind-Pulling Qi-Condensation that he had seen earlier.
'Do you think I'll just obediently get hit by something I've already seen once?'
At that moment, Lee An-jeong lightly dodged with his body.
Swish—
Cheon Mong-han’s spiritual power, which grazed past Lee An-jeong, struck an innocent tree.
Slash— Crack—
A large tree was hit by the spiritual qi, snapped in half, and fell over.
Then, Cheon Mong-han narrowed his eyes and sneered as if he had expected that.
"You body-strengthening practitioner fellow! As I heard, you are very nimble! Certainly, it would be difficult with only the Wind-Pulling Qi-Condensation, which I haven't fully mastered yet. But can you really dodge this as well?"
Before anyone knew it, a shimmering talisman was held in Cheon Mong-han’s hand.
'Hmm? What is that talisman I'm seeing for the first time?'
That talisman had a completely different material from the talismans Lee An-jeong possessed, and it seemed to be a higher-grade talisman.
As Cheon Mong-han began to utter some kind of incantation, a round mirror suddenly emerged above that talisman.
Rumble— Thump—
"Huh? What is that?"
Lee An-jeong’s eyes sparkled because it was his first time seeing a technique where something that large popped out of a talisman.
Vrrr—
At that moment, that large mirror flashed, and countless streaks of spiritual qi were shot out from within it toward Lee An-jeong.
Ping— Pipipiping—
"Huh? Uh-oh!"
In an instant, dozens of streaks of spiritual qi flew in as fast as arrows.
Lee An-jeong felt a sense of crisis from that technique he saw for the first time and quickly threw his body.
Then, Cheon Mong-han shouted in a voice full of confidence.
"Haha! Let’s see if you can dodge with your body-strengthening technique! The spiritual qi shot by this Yellow-grade Spiritual Reflection Mirror Talisman is at the level of at least the mid-stage of the Qi Condensation! It’s not a speed that a mere early-stage fellow can dodge!"
"Yellow-grade talisman? Spiritual Reflection Mirror Talisman?"
Here on the Dong-cheon Continent, everything was divided into five grades: Ordinary, Yellow, Mysterious, Earth, and Heaven.
If it were Yellow-grade, it was of a rank above the Ordinary-grade, and it was a considerably high-grade talisman that could be used not only by those in the Qi Condensation stage but even those in the early Foundation Establishment stage.
Swoosh—
In the blink of an eye, dozens of those arrow-like streaks of spiritual qi flew right in front of Lee An-jeong’s nose.
"Hut!"
Lee An-jeong could no longer dodge that fast speed, so he blocked his face with both arms and pulled up his spiritual qi.
In the next moment, dozens of streaks of spiritual qi struck Lee An-jeong’s body.
Thud thud! Rustle—
"Ugh—"
Lee An-jeong let out a groan in spite of himself.
Seeing that sight, Cheon Mong-han burst into a loud laugh, thinking that Lee An-jeong must have suffered near-fatal injuries.
"Uhahaha— You fellow! Do you understand now? The power of this Spiritual Reflection Mirror Talisman!"
However, even before he could finish speaking, Cheon Mong-han’s eyes bulged wide.
Surprisingly, the moment they collided with Lee An-jeong’s body, the streaks of spiritual qi had broken apart all too easily.
Furthermore, as the dust cleared and Lee An-jeong’s body appeared, not a single scratch could be seen.
"No!? How?"
Cheon Mong-han took on a terrified expression.
Then, with an angry look, he huffed and pointed his finger toward Lee An-jeong.
"A mere insignificant body-strengthening practitioner like you!"
He likely thought it was the effect of the special body-strengthening technique that Lee An-jeong had learned.
He thought that otherwise, there was no way a body without even a handful of spiritual qi could take so much spiritual qi and remain unscathed.
"Hmm? What? I'm fine? It was no big deal?"
On the contrary, Lee An-jeong felt relieved and stroked his chest since he was fine despite being struck on his body.
"Y-you bastard!"
At this, Cheon Mong-han became even more enraged and tried to shoot spiritual qi toward Lee An-jeong again using the Spiritual Reflection Mirror Talisman.
However, at that moment, Lee An-jeong’s figure disappeared from before his eyes in an instant.
Swish—
"Uh? What?"
It was the moment Cheon Mong-han, startled, was looking around his surroundings.
Suddenly, something dropped straight down from above his head.
"A Spiritual Reflection Mirror Talisman, you say? I can move this fast even without such a thing."
"Y-you fellow!"
It was none other than Lee An-jeong.
It was the moment Cheon Mong-han urgently tried to manipulate the Spiritual Reflection Mirror Talisman to shoot spiritual qi.
"Argh—"
Thwack—
At the same time as a strong pain was felt in his head, Cheon Mong-han lost consciousness just like that and fell over.
"Phew, that was a surprise. I was startled! This brat! To think he would use such a strange magical technique on me!"
Lee An-jeong launched punches and kicks without mercy toward the fainted and fallen Cheon Mong-han.
Although he was fortunately fine, it was because he thought his heart was going to drop the moment he was hit by the spiritual qi of the Spiritual Reflection Mirror Talisman earlier.
'What would have happened if the power had even been stronger? I could have lost both my arms helplessly! Like a fool!'
Lee An-jeong reproached himself and vowed never to let his guard down again.
Certainly, due to his lack of combat experience, there were still clumsy parts in his response.
While doing so, he loaded even more spiritual qi into the punches and kicks he was delivering to Cheon Mong-han.
In an instant, Cheon Mong-han’s body was burst and bruised here and there, turning into a wretched state.
Perhaps because the pain was so great, Cheon Mong-han, who had lost consciousness, also woke up after not long.
"U-ugh!— Cough— S-stop! Stop! I was wrong! I'll apologize!"
As soon as he regained consciousness, Cheon Mong-han pleaded like that, as if screaming at the pain felt from his body.
Before anyone knew it, the large mirror of the Spiritual Reflection Mirror Talisman had also disappeared back into the talisman.
Hwang Cheon, who was watching that scene from behind, tried to run away quickly as it seemed things had gone wrong.
However, there was no way Lee An-jeong would just let that be.
"Hey, Hwang Cheon! Where are you running off to so busily?"
Lee An-jeong, who lightly threw his body, jumped several meters in an instant and flew behind Hwang Cheon’s back, stomping down on his back with his foot.
Thwack!
"Ugh—"
Hwang Cheon was kicked in the back just like that and rolled on the ground.
His face was slammed into the ground, and he became a mess, covered all over in dirt.
Even in the midst of that, Hwang Cheon quickly turned around and, while kneeling, rubbed his hands together and begged for forgiveness.
"L-Lee An-jeong! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! P-please don't hit me!"
"You expect me to believe that? Didn't you say the same thing last time? Brat, people don't originally change! I’d trust a dog before I trust you! Get ready! If you dodge, I'll hit you more!"
Lee An-jeong showered punches and kicks onto Hwang Cheon’s body without mercy with a cold expression.
"Argh— Aaarrgh—!"
In that pain, Hwang Cheon screamed and rolled around on the ground.
Taking that opportunity, Cheon Mong-han got up and tried to throw his body while staggering.
However, Lee An-jeong noticed Cheon Mong-han, smiled sinisterly, and shouted loudly.
"Hey! Cheon-sunbae! Where are you trying to go so hurriedly?"
***